Andrea Gentl and Martin Hyers are commercial photographers based in New York. They shoot still life, travel, interiors, food, portraits, beauty and motion.
596 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 (near Houston St.)
I find the idea of abandoning “perfect” and even “good enough” irresistibly tempting. Life — the fingerprints, scars, and laugh lines — is itself perfectly imperfect, and I can embrace the beauty in that.
How much of your work is food photography?
Gentl + Hyers: About half of the work we do is food photography—the rest is still life, interiors, and travel. Our food work is most influenced by our travels. Although the light is the same all over the Earth, it somehow seems to fall differently in faraway countries, or perhaps it’s the unfamiliarity that makes it seem so. Strange and beautiful shadows, random bits of sun, and a wide spectrum of colors fill distant rooms in faraway lands in a way that always seem new to us. We bring this inspiration back with us, and try to recreate that light in the studio.
How did you two start working together?
G+H: We met here in New York at Parsons School of Design. A fellow photographer suggested that we work together, and we were intrigued by that idea. When we first started, there were not many teams in the business. We tried it out and it felt good to collaborate. We lived in Hell’s Kitchen at the time, and shot most of our first portfolio by a small window that faced north. We had both been assisting at the time, and we were lucky to be hired early on by supportive editors we had met while assisting. The community was much smaller then, and in some ways it was easier to break in.
You do both studio and location work—do you bring a different approach to the food for each?
G+H: We try to bring studio to location by controlling the light, and location to the studio by making it look like a real place. The key to shooting travel, and in some respects this applies to studio work, is to not be afraid. You have to really get in there and talk to people and get in the middle of the chaos.
How closely do you work with chefs on shoots? Do you style the food yourself?
G+H: For editorial and advertising we work very collaboratively with the entire crew—everyone on set influences the outcome of the shoot. There are no passive participants. The food stylists, prop stylists and chefs we meet bring so much skill and creativity to the shoots, the collaboration on set is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of this industry. After the gear is up and the first plate is on set, the direction of the shoot is pushed and tweaked and moved until the end of the day. The pictures are a direct result of the dynamic nature of the group and the process. Hundreds of variables and decisions coalesce into a handful of photographs. It is very serendipitous.
What equipment do you use?
G+H: We shoot with a Canon now. When we first started we shot 4×5. As far as lighting goes, we prefer northern-facing daylight studios, and we augment this at times with some basic studio lighting. When you’re shooting, particularly commercially, you get in the studio at 9 o’clock and leave at six or seven at night, shooting all day for one story. So you want consistent light—if the studio is south-facing, or east or west, the sun changes from hour to hour. And a lot of times people build photo studios that are white, which looks great, when you come into a big white room, but if there’s sunlight bouncing around off the walls, it can be a lot of extra work to build out sets and flats to get consistent lighting over the course of the day.
How do you divide the labor between the two of you on a shoot?
G+H: We often have two sets when in the studio, and we always have multiple cameras when we shoot travel. When we travel, we start very early in the morning, generally long before the sun comes up, and finish after dark. We often split up, but then come back together from time to time to download cards and to see what the other has been working on. At times one of us (this would be Martin) is strapped to the top of a moving vehicle or hanging off a roof while the other is on the ground foraging about in a market. We always try to think about the unusual vantage points. There are moments when we are side by side taking the same picture, but for the most part with travel, it is a more personal experience. In the studio, the second set allows for some of that personal experience and experimentation. We can spend more time on the things we want to explore without worrying about the shot list. And there is a fair amount of competition between us, so if one of us sees the other shooting something beautiful it only raises the bar, which in the end makes for better photographs.
How has being a food photographer changed how you eat?
G+H: We both love food and are not shy eaters, but Andrea is a particular foodaholic. She is an intuitive cook and I reap the benefits. She is inspired by all things food, from her Italian roots to the weeds in the cracks of the city sidewalks. She has a blog that she works on when she has time, where she blends and reimagines and builds from all that she has learned over the years, and inevitably she brings those experiences to set. She will pull over on the highway to pick a wild plant or bake a cake the morning of a shoot even when we have a 6 AM call time. She is obsessed.
Any tips for aspiring food photographers (or Instagrammers) out there?
G+H: Our advice is the same regardless of what you shoot. Find what you love and do it A LOT! It doesn’t matter if you are using your iPhone or a fancy camera. Just shoot and do it all the time. Make projects for yourself. It is all about the practice. Really try to see light, notice it everywhere. If you look for the light you will start to see what you are responding to. These days with digital photography and blogs and Instagram there is no shortage of people who are talented and creative and inspired. It might seem daunting to start in the face of such odds. The trick is to push the button.
Gentl and Hyers Photography
http://www.gentlandhyers.com/
Andrea Gentl and Martin Hyers are commercial photographers based in New York. They shoot still life, travel, interiors, food, portraits, beauty and motion.
596 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 (near Houston St.)
Wabi Sabi Your Life: 6 Strategies for Embracing Imperfection
text by Gretchen Roberts
photo by Gentl and Hyers
http://www.wholeliving.com/133628/wabi-sabi-your-life-6-strategies-embracing-imperfection
I find the idea of abandoning “perfect” and even “good enough” irresistibly tempting. Life — the fingerprints, scars, and laugh lines — is itself perfectly imperfect, and I can embrace the beauty in that.
Interview with Gentl & Hyers, Food Photographers
by Sam Dean
Bon Appétit
http://www.bonappetit.com/people/our-team/slideshow/an-interview-with-gentl-and-hyers-food-photographers
How much of your work is food photography?
Gentl + Hyers: About half of the work we do is food photography—the rest is still life, interiors, and travel. Our food work is most influenced by our travels. Although the light is the same all over the Earth, it somehow seems to fall differently in faraway countries, or perhaps it’s the unfamiliarity that makes it seem so. Strange and beautiful shadows, random bits of sun, and a wide spectrum of colors fill distant rooms in faraway lands in a way that always seem new to us. We bring this inspiration back with us, and try to recreate that light in the studio.
How did you two start working together?
G+H: We met here in New York at Parsons School of Design. A fellow photographer suggested that we work together, and we were intrigued by that idea. When we first started, there were not many teams in the business. We tried it out and it felt good to collaborate. We lived in Hell’s Kitchen at the time, and shot most of our first portfolio by a small window that faced north. We had both been assisting at the time, and we were lucky to be hired early on by supportive editors we had met while assisting. The community was much smaller then, and in some ways it was easier to break in.
You do both studio and location work—do you bring a different approach to the food for each?
G+H: We try to bring studio to location by controlling the light, and location to the studio by making it look like a real place. The key to shooting travel, and in some respects this applies to studio work, is to not be afraid. You have to really get in there and talk to people and get in the middle of the chaos.
How closely do you work with chefs on shoots? Do you style the food yourself?
G+H: For editorial and advertising we work very collaboratively with the entire crew—everyone on set influences the outcome of the shoot. There are no passive participants. The food stylists, prop stylists and chefs we meet bring so much skill and creativity to the shoots, the collaboration on set is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of this industry. After the gear is up and the first plate is on set, the direction of the shoot is pushed and tweaked and moved until the end of the day. The pictures are a direct result of the dynamic nature of the group and the process. Hundreds of variables and decisions coalesce into a handful of photographs. It is very serendipitous.
What equipment do you use?
G+H: We shoot with a Canon now. When we first started we shot 4×5. As far as lighting goes, we prefer northern-facing daylight studios, and we augment this at times with some basic studio lighting. When you’re shooting, particularly commercially, you get in the studio at 9 o’clock and leave at six or seven at night, shooting all day for one story. So you want consistent light—if the studio is south-facing, or east or west, the sun changes from hour to hour. And a lot of times people build photo studios that are white, which looks great, when you come into a big white room, but if there’s sunlight bouncing around off the walls, it can be a lot of extra work to build out sets and flats to get consistent lighting over the course of the day.
How do you divide the labor between the two of you on a shoot?
G+H: We often have two sets when in the studio, and we always have multiple cameras when we shoot travel. When we travel, we start very early in the morning, generally long before the sun comes up, and finish after dark. We often split up, but then come back together from time to time to download cards and to see what the other has been working on. At times one of us (this would be Martin) is strapped to the top of a moving vehicle or hanging off a roof while the other is on the ground foraging about in a market. We always try to think about the unusual vantage points. There are moments when we are side by side taking the same picture, but for the most part with travel, it is a more personal experience. In the studio, the second set allows for some of that personal experience and experimentation. We can spend more time on the things we want to explore without worrying about the shot list. And there is a fair amount of competition between us, so if one of us sees the other shooting something beautiful it only raises the bar, which in the end makes for better photographs.
How has being a food photographer changed how you eat?
G+H: We both love food and are not shy eaters, but Andrea is a particular foodaholic. She is an intuitive cook and I reap the benefits. She is inspired by all things food, from her Italian roots to the weeds in the cracks of the city sidewalks. She has a blog that she works on when she has time, where she blends and reimagines and builds from all that she has learned over the years, and inevitably she brings those experiences to set. She will pull over on the highway to pick a wild plant or bake a cake the morning of a shoot even when we have a 6 AM call time. She is obsessed.
Any tips for aspiring food photographers (or Instagrammers) out there?
G+H: Our advice is the same regardless of what you shoot. Find what you love and do it A LOT! It doesn’t matter if you are using your iPhone or a fancy camera. Just shoot and do it all the time. Make projects for yourself. It is all about the practice. Really try to see light, notice it everywhere. If you look for the light you will start to see what you are responding to. These days with digital photography and blogs and Instagram there is no shortage of people who are talented and creative and inspired. It might seem daunting to start in the face of such odds. The trick is to push the button.